What should the Buffalo Bills do at quarterback?

Who should the Buffalo Bills turn to at quarterback?

Although the Buffalo Bills finished the season above .500 for the first time since 2004, there is a big problem going forward for the Bills. In 2014, the Bills were one of the league’s worst offensive teams. However even though they were without star linebacker Kiko Alonso for most of the year, the Bills were one of the best defensive teams in the league and their pass rush was far and away the best in the league. Despite that, the NFL is a quarterback’s league, and quite simply, the Bills don’t have a quarterback at the moment.

After E.J. Manuel sputtered in the first four games of the season, journeyman Kyle Orton took this over and he played valiantly, but he couldn’t guide this team into the playoffs, which could’ve happened if they had beaten the Oakland Raiders in Week 16. Since the end of the regular season, Orton has retired, which leaves a hole at the quarterback position just like two years ago.

Of course, Manuel is on the roster, but in his tenure in the NFL, he has really been unproductive. The Bills invested a lot in Manuel considering they took him with the 15th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Doug Marrone, one of the best offensive minds in all of football, could not get enough out of Manuel in two years. Considering Marrone tried to suit his offense for Manuel’s strong-points, it doesn’t look good for Manuel’s prospects as an NFL quarterback in 2015.

Last week, Marrone opted out of his contract, which created even more controversy of what the Bills should do at the quarterback position. Interestingly enough, Rex Ryan, who was the rival head coach of the New York Jets for the past six years, has been contacted by Bills officials. Rex could very well be Buffalo’s next head coach. However, Ryan never had a good quarterback with the Jets, and there are reports that he is wary of the quarterback situation in Buffalo and that alone could ultimately be the reason why Rex decides to coach somewhere else.

Without a head coach in place and no really starting-level quarterback, the Bills have a huge problem on their hands. For a team that has fielded Jim Kelly, Joe Ferguson, and Drew Bledsoe over the years at the quarterback position, the Bills find themselves in a different situation. This situation could ultimately make-or-break this franchise. If they find the right guy, the Bills could make a deep run into the playoffs. However if they can’t find the right person, this team’s window will close and the talented players they have on defense will go elsewhere.

Now that the Bills are watching the playoffs from home for the 15th straight season, the 2015 offseason will be huge for the Bills as they look to not only improve for next season, but also build stability and consistency for the long-term as well. As of now, the Bills hold the 19th pick in the NFL Draft in April’s draft. However, the Bills do not have their 2015 first-round pick. Instead, the Cleveland Browns will have the pick.

Without a first-round pick, the Bills will have the opportunity to draft a quarterback like Brett Hundley, Garrett Grayson, or even Shane Carden in the middle rounds of the draft. In my opinion, the only quarterbacks in this year’s draft I see starting in 2015 are Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, and unless something happens between now and the draft, I doubt Winston or Mariota will be available by the time the Bills are on the clock for the first time.

Because of the lack of talent at the quarterback position in the draft this year, it might be a better idea for general manager Doug Whaley to look into free agency for a quarterback. The top quarterbacks in this year’s free agency class are Brian Hoyer, Jake Locker, and Mark Sanchez. All three have proved that they are incapable of being starting quarterbacks.

So without a clear-cut quarterback in either the draft or in free agency, what the Bills need to is become a ground-and-pound team while also having the ability to develop a quarterback. What that means is that they add another offensive line and use more sets with their running back duo of Fred Jackson and, if he is re-signed, C.J. Spiller. If the Bills can add a guy like Locker to be a stopgap solution and a guy like Carden who they can develop in the middle rounds, it would be huge for the future.

By 2016, the Bills would not be dominant, but they would most likely be ready for the future and Carden would likely be ready to start. If the Bills fall off in 2015, they could draft a guy like Connor Cook or even Cody Kessler early in the draft. Right now, the Bills are in a tough position, but if they play their cards right and not be too aggressive, Buffalo could be a very good team in the AFC for years to come.

Next: Where do the Bills rank among all 32 franchises all-time?